Vastu Shastra
Where we live can influence our
happiness, wealth, health, and prosperity. The Vastu Shastra is the Vedic
science of building. When one studies the Vastu Shastra, he learns to create
buildings that favorably influence those things that bring us happiness
The Vastu Shastra considers the
astrological placement of the Sun, Earth, and other planets during the actual
construction. It also considers where the building site is located, the site’s
shape, the proposed building’s shape, the direction the building will face, the
location of gates, entry doors, room doors, windows, and the building’s general
design. North and east are considered important directions—east because it is
the direction from which the sun rises.
Assessing the Land
When purchasing a property, it is a good idea to stand on the land and feel its
vibration for a few moments. Trust your feelings. If you feel positive about it,
consider buying the land. If not, it is probably not good for you. It is best to
buy land where happy and successful people have lived. A house sold by a person
in distress or who is impoverished, should be purchased only with caution. A
dilapidated or haunted house should not be purchased at all.
The land should be cultivatable and
should smell good. It is best not to build on nonarable land. Land that contains
many rocks, anthills, many worms, bones, broken pottery, sludge, and thorny
trees should not be purchased. If the center of the land is humped like the
shell of a turtle, it should not be purchased.
The color of the soil should also
be considered. White soil is good for Brahmans (priests, teachers,
scientists, or intellectuals), red for ksatriyas (rulers, soldiers, or
administrators), yellow for vaisyas (businessmen, farmers or bankers),
and black for sudras (laborers, artisans, craftsmen, or servants).
When you assess the soil, do not
just make a surface check, but also dig about 4m (12 ft) down. If the soil is
black up to 1m (3 ft) down and white or red below that, the land can be
purchased. According to Vastu Shastra, black and clayey soil is not good for
building. If the soil is crumbly rock, money can easily be gotten. Yellow soil
is good for businessmen.
Another test of land quality is to
dig a knee-deep hole (2/3m or 2'x2'x2') and then refill it. If after filling the
hole you have some soil left over, the land is good. If there is no soil left
after filling the hole, the land is average. If the returned soil does not even
fill the hole, this is not a good sign. Such land should not be purchased. This
shows the soil’s natural moisture and aeration.
Again dig the same sized hole. This
time, fill it with water. If it takes more than an hour for the water to be
absorbed, this is a good sign. If there are many cracks in the hole after the
water has been absorbed, the construction may cost more than you expect. This is
a percolation test done even in the U.S. to test for clay deposits. The cracks
indicate clay soil, which is not best for water drainage and can cause
foundation problems, etc. Also, wastes are not carried away properly, which can
bring disease.
Do not purchase land that has been
used as a crematorium, cemetery, or a samadhi (tomb for a holy person).
The land should not be purchased if in the recent past someone has committed
suicide on it, or if there have been several deaths over the period of a couple
of months.
It is usually best not to purchase
land next to a bridge. If the bridge is on the north or east sides, it
definitely should not be purchased. If it is on the south or west sides, that is
a safer purchase.
It is also usually best not to
purchase land that shares a well with another property. The land can be
purchased, however, if the water supply is a common well on the north, east, or
northeast side.
A plot of land situated on a hill
is also not a good purchase in most cases. It is better to purchase level
ground. If the land to be purchased is on the side of a hill, however, and the
land slopes down toward the north or east, that is all right. If the land slopes
to the west, do not purchase it.
After choosing and purchasing land,
plants should be grown on the land. Also, if possible, keep a cow and her
calf on the land for a while to make it more auspicious.